THE TRUTH IN WHAT SHE KEPT
by Good2Know
Summary: Jess returns to Stars Hollow to help his mother and while he's there gets a glimpse into Rory's mind and what she really felt for him all these years.
1. Chapter 1

**THE TRUTH IN WHAT SHE KEPT**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story; if I did Dean would have moved away after the Dance marathon.**

**AN: I decided I might try my hand at another chapter story. I warn you this took me a week to write and rewrite updates will probably be slow. **

_**Setting: Diner Apartment (three years after the last episode**_**)**

"Sorry for the clutter" Luke said as he helped his nephew bring up the last of his luggage. He had to step around a stack of boxes stacked near the door. Similar stacks were scattered throughout the apartment.

"It's fine"

"It's just with the place being empty most of the time we've been storing things here" Luke explained as he grabbed a box off the couch and moved it against a far wall.

"Luke its fine, you had no idea I would be coming. I'm just thankful I don't have to stay with Liz and TJ."

Jess still cringed at the thought. His mother had called him frantic two days before begging him to come. She was pregnant again and TJ was in a full body cast. Why she insisted on breeding with a man who thought it was a good idea to clean their chimney by attaching brillo pads to himself he would never know. TJ didn't even make it further than the ladder leading onto the roof before he plummeted back down to the ground. If the fall wasn't' bad enough apparently the brillo pads caused their own complications. Needless to say his mother needed the extra help and he; wanting to prove he really was a better man, agreed.

Luke smirked remembering the panicked look on Jess's face just a half hour before. Liz had insisted since she didn't have a spare room that he should sleep in the nursery with his little sister and get to know her better. Of course his sister failed to take into consideration that Dula was going through her "shy faze" as Liz liked to call it and screamed her head off whenever Jess, or anyone for that matter, came near her. So Luke decided since Jess was trying to do what was right he would take pity on him. Just the fact that he had shown up when his mother called proved how much he had grown. So he offered to let him stay in the diner apartment reminding his sister that Jess was a grown man and needed his privacy plus the diner was close by and he would still be there whenever she needed him.

"Well aside from the boxes the rest of the place has been kept ready for guests. Rory stays here when she comes home, Lorelai doesn't like it, but Rory insists that we need our privacy especially after...." Jess couldn't help but notice that his uncle had turned a bright shade of red as he trailed off from his sentence.

"After" Jess prompted drawing out the word. Any twinge he got at the mention of Rory was instantly out weighed by glee at his uncle's obvious embarrassment.

"She might have walked in on something once or twice." Luke mumbled

"Oh my god she didn't" Jess barked out. His mind was caught between amusement and horror at what Rory must have seen. The horror won out as he shuddered. Luke was the closest thing he had to a father and that was just something you didn't want to think about, much less see your dad do. _Poor Rory!_

"Oh man she must be scarred for life"

"Hey, she came home unexpected and….. and it's my deranged wife's fault for thinking a man cooking is so irresistible."

"Ahh man! Not the kitchen! Although…" Jess said staring off as if lost in thought " a Gilmore getting turned on by food is not that surprising…"

"Hey" Luke said warningly

"I'm just saying…." Jess said giving him a pointed look "Just know that I won't be excepting any dinner invitations….ever."

"Yeah Rory refused to step foot into the kitchen for a week afterward and she still won't sit at the table." Luke said playing with his hat.

"Gross Luke!! I don't need the details!!!!" disgusted he made a mental note to never touch said table.

Luke just shrugged.

"So what is all this" Jess asked as he set his bag down on what used to be his bed.

"Most of it is Rory's actually. She gave up her room for the baby."

"Doesn't she need it?" Jess asked while eying the boxes. He couldn't help but notice the sheer volume of stuff she left behind.

"No most of this are things Lorelai kept from her childhood or stuff Rory couldn't fit in her apartment. She only has a one bedroom."

"Huh" Now that he knew that the boxes were Rory's and that she herself often stayed here, he couldn't stop himself from wondering what could be in them, or what she did while she was here, which bed she slept in……. He eyed his own bed trying to imagine her curled up there, a book in her hand (his own book of course) contently reading. Unfortunately that peaceful image was shattered by the thought of someone else sharing the bed with her. Jess wasn't stupid he knew Rory probably had someone in her life even if she wasn't with the Yale Dick anymore. He couldn't help but wonder if she only stayed at the diner apartment for Luke and her mother's privacy. _Damn _now he didn't know if he could sleep in that bed anymore.

Luke must have read something into Jess's silence. Or maybe it was just tension in the air all of the sudden.

"She's doing really well you know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, she's working as an editor for an online magazine. Right now she's living in Manhattan but she's always traveling. I doubt she spends more than a week at a time in her apartment most months. She's just really happy…." Luke said beaming with pride

"Good" Jess nodded shuffling his feet back and forth. He didn't know how else to respond. He refused to ask any questions. He was glad she was happy but he didn't want to know the intimate details of her life. It took him a long time to give up on Rory Gilmore and he was proud of himself for doing it. Admittedly he still felt something for her and probably always would, but he no longer allowed himself to hope. Their last encounter made him finally realize that although Rory might have thought she loved him once, she never felt for him what he felt for her.

"So a baby huh? He says deciding to change the subject "have to admit I'm a little surprised. What ever happened to your famous rants about jam hands?"

**AN: okay that's it for now. I am working on the next chapter it will be posted as soon as it's done.**


	2. Nesting With The Insane

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Just like to play with them sometimes.**

**A.N. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. **

It had been a long day. Jess stared at the top of the stairway longing for the comfort of his uncles worn out couch. Just twelve steps separated him from his goal and yet his tired body screamed at him that it was too much. He contemplated going back through the curtain and curling up on the floor behind the counter but his pride wouldn't allow Luke to find him in such a vulnerable state. Cursing he forced his foot to climb the first step. God if he had known what he was agreeing to when he said yes to his mother he would have never left Philadelphia.

Liz was insane. He knew this. Geez he spent 17 years of his damned life knowing this. Why he thought being sober and happy would change that indisputable fact he would never know. He would admit she was a more cheerful and grounded lunatic but still insane. The big difference now was she didn't try to hide her insanity behind drugs, alcohol and losers. She instead embraced it, made it part of her everyday life, hell she married it. Jess looked up again three more steps to go, three more steps and he could let himself relax.

His entire body ached he was sore in places he forgot he had muscles and he was covered in two shades of purple paint and a horrible shade of green. The green was the final color his mother had settled on for his newest sibling's room. Of course this was after he already finished painting said room in the other two colors. In fact his whole day had been spent repainting, rearranging and reorganizing to his mother's whim. He had lost his temper at one point and yelled at her for being so flighty but quickly found himself apologizing and down right begging for forgiveness when Liz burst into tears.

Nothing was scarier to him than the sight of his hormonal mother sobbing about nesting and needing to be a better mother this time around. Needless to say he kept a tight rein on his mouth and grudgingly did whatever she wanted in fear of setting her off again.

Jess finally made it up the last step and stumbled to the door pushing it open. The couch. At that moment Jess didn't think he had ever longed for something as much as he did that ugly lumpy couch. _Rory who_? Trudging the last few feet to it, he collapses, landing face first his left arm dangling onto the floor. He was asleep within minutes.

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Jess woke to the sounds of his uncle pacing around the little kitchen. Luke placed a bag on the table and reached in pulling out several white take out containers.

"I brought you the Gilmore special" Luke grunted when he saw Jess had woken up.

"Cheeseburger, chili fries, and onion rings" Jess said with a laugh

"Yeah but I added a salad you need the vegetables."

"Is that right Mom?" Jess quipped

"Shut up, and get over here and eat. Will ya?"

Jess laughed and made his way out to the kitchen. "Thanks, Uncle Luke"

"Yeah, Yeah…….So how was your day with your mom." From the smirk on Luke's face Jess had a feeling Luke knew all to well how his day had gone and was expecting it from the beginning.

"You could have warned me."

"What and ruin the fun" Luke laughed

"Fun?? Damnit Luke! I thought I was coming to help her take care of T.J. maybe watch Dula or get groceries…. I don't know. But I was not expecting to be her one man remodeling crew. She's off her rocker Luke and I can't even complain without her turning into a blubbering mess. "

Luke grinned at him, showing not a drop of sympathy for his nephew.

"She's glad you're here"

Jess flopped down into his chair in defeat. "Yeah I know"

A little while later Jess had finished his supper and sat talking with his uncle.

"So how long can you be away?" Luke asked "I'm sure there are things you need to be doing back home."

Jess shrugged noncommittally "I should be able to stay for at least a couple of weeks. The guys are handling the store plus I brought a ton of work with me." Jess looked around at his laptop knowing said work was waiting for him as he spoke, but couldn't find it in him to tackle it tonight. His eyes drifted over to the stack of boxes that caught his interest earlier that morning. He absentmindedly heard Luke's approving words.

"Hey Luke, do you think Rory would mind if I looked through her boxes of books?"

"Huh? Um no I don't think she would mind, actually she asked me to drop them off with Gypsy. She's in charge of the book sale again this year."

"Rory is getting rid of books?" Jess just couldn't wrap his mind around that.

"Well I told you her apartment was tiny."

Jess still couldn't believe it; he remembered her room and the huge amount of books she managed to pack into her small space.

"Don't worry she still managed to bring more books than clothing with her." Luke said at Jess's disbelieving look. For some reason this made him feel better. He hated the thought that she might have changed in such a significant way.

"So I shouldn't bother looking through what she left behind if they didn't rate going with her?" _What books would Rory think were expendable? _

"Hell if I know. I never got the whole book obsession you two have. She just said she felt guilty keeping books in storage when someone else could be reading them. Something about they'd revoke her library card."

Jess smirked at her Gilmore logic more proof that she was still the same girl he remembered at least in some ways.

**A.N. I'm sorry it took so long to update. The flu hit my house and all three of my kids. Not pretty!!! I have the next chapter all worked out. Jess will finally start opening some of those boxes and will be surprised at what he finds. **


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